4833     INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCESSIBILITY POLICY    
(Revised 09/08)

It is the policy of the State of California that information and services on California State Government Web Sites are designed to be accessible to people with disabilities. In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act and strengthened provisions covering access to information in the Federal sector. As amended, section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires access to the Federal government's electronic and information technology.

The Department of Justice has clearly opined that Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all state and local governments to develop and maintain accessible web sites just as they are required to build accessible facilities.  It is the responsibility of the agency to become familiar with the guidelines for achieving universal accessibility and to apply these principles in designing and creating any State of California Website. To achieve compliance, agencies need to adhere to Paragraphs A thru P of Section (1194.22) - Web-based Intranet and Internet Information and Applications  (www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/). 

The use of the Federal guidelines will ensure that web sites created by the State of California are developed to serve the largest possible audience. Compliance with these guidelines provides an added benefit to those users with text-based browsers, low-end processors, slow modem connections and/or no multi-media capabilities on their computer.  This policy also covers access to California State Websites by new and future technologies.